Alonso accepts British GP penalty

Fernando Alonso said he accepted the costly penalty he was given during the British Grand Prix on Sunday

The Ferrari driver received a drive-through after overtaking Renault's Robert Kubica by going off the track.

The penalty ruined all his chances of a good result as he was forced to serve it after the safety car period, which meant he returned at the back of the field.

A calm Alonso, who had been angry in the previous race because of the safety car controversy, said that he accepted the penalty.

"I accept everything they do. They are the judges," Alonso told Spanish television after the race.

Ferrari made a reference to the European Grand Prix controversy in its official Twitter account, suggesting Lewis Hamilton should have been punished then like Alonso was today.

"You can just say one thing: if a penalty must be punishing it must be always like this," said the Italian team.

The result left Alonso 47 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, but the Spaniard insisted the title is still within reach.

"This is just the halfway point of the season, so all the points that we have lost in this first half is because we haven't done things as well as the others," he said.

"So in the second half of the championship we are going to try to do better than the others and recover one point more than what they have now.

"The season is very long and we are not going to give up."

Alonso finished the race in 14th position on a dismal day for Ferrari, with team-mate Felipe Massa down in 15th.